Jungkook didn’t mean to intrude into Taehyung’s private life, but things just happened that way.

Walking down the hallways of the college he was a first year at, his foot bumped against a phone that had been most likely dropped by accident there by some other student. He picked it up and looked around to see if anyone was searching for it and, when he didn’t find anyone like that, he started thinking about how he should go about getting it back to its owner.

Right then the phone rang in his hand and Jungkook picked up the call thinking that the owner was calling his or her phone from someone else’s in order to find the missing object. He opened his mouth to say “Hello”, but he got distracted for a second by something sudden that happened in the hallway and missed his chance, so the male voice on the other end of the call started speaking first:

Ji: “Taehyung? Listen - I know this is sudden but… let’s break up. We’ve been dragging this long distance relationship for way too long and I’m tired. It’s not doing us any good anymore and… I met someone over here so… I’m sorry.”

Jungkook was speechless. A little voice inside his head kept telling him to interrupt the other guy and clarify that he was not this Taehyung who was being dumped, but the surprise and confusion rendered him unable to think and act properly.

So, after being met with silence, the guy on the phone let out a heavy sigh and continued:

Ji: “I’m… really, truly sorry I’m doing this over the phone but… I don’t think I’d have the strength to do it if I saw your face, even though I think it’s for the best. That’s why I’m trying to get this all out as soon as possible. I’m sorry but please don’t contact me anymore, okay? Bye, Taehyung.”

The guy hung up and Jungkook was about to throw the phone into the wall before he remembered it wasn’t his to break and it wasn’t his problem to get mad over. But he was still annoyed at how one-sidedly the other guy decided to end the relationship and Jungkook pondered calling back to yell “Good riddance!” and a few colorful curses into the phone when his brain suddenly filled with thoughts that made him freak out a bit.

One – he had heard a message that he shouldn’t have, depriving the one it was intended for of hearing it himself and having the chance to say something back. Two – he had learned the ual orientation of a stranger who may or may not be open about being into guys or also into guys. Three – when he would find this Taehyung guy, he would also have to convey the bitter news about the break up to him, which would make things even more awkward than they already were.

While getting nervous at the thought of how that interaction would go, Jungkook realized that there was a Taehyung in his college he knew of, who could possibly be the owner of the phone. Even as a first year with not many friends and no inclinations towards gossip, Jungkook had heard about a unrealistically handsome second year named Taehyung who didn’t talk or smile much and just passed through the hallways, going about his business, like an ethereal being of out-worldly beauty. When Jungkook actually saw who this reputation and the name Taehyung belonged to, the level of physical perfection and the lack of emotion in his expressions made Jungkook think he was seeing a moving, plastic doll.

So, thinking that this was the Taehyung he had to give the phone and message to, Jungkook’s nervousness subsided. He thought this Taehyung wouldn’t show any emotion, so the interaction would be carried out as robotically and lacking in awkwardness as paying for groceries at the cash register.

Jungkook asked around where he could find Taehyung and, unsurprisingly, there were people who knew his exact schedule and location, which made it easy for Jungkook to find him and call out to him as he was leaving college after his last courses.

J: “Uhm, Taehyung?”

T: “Yeah?” Taehyung confirmed, turning around and seeming aloof, but still not as rude as Jungkook lowkey suspected he was going to be.

J: “I found this phone on the floor in the hallways earlier. Is it yours?”

Jungkook showed Taehyung the phone and the latter started patting his pockets to confirm the absence of his mobile device before taking it back from Jungkook’s hand.

T: “Seems so. Thanks for bringing it to me.”

J: “Sure.”

T: “But how did you know it was mine?”

J: “Oh, well… A guy called and I answered thinking that the owner would be calling to check their phone’s whereabouts. The guy said “Taehyung” and you’re the only Taehyung I know of in this place, so I thought I’d check with you before looking for any other Taehyungs.”

T: “I see.”

Taehyung didn’t seem surprised or puzzled that Jungkook knew his name and Jungkook thought that Taehyung must be used to being somewhat of a celebrity, probably also having some of the arrogance that goes with that status, although from Taehyung’s expressionless face Jungkook couldn’t confirm or infirm the existence of any arrogance.

T: “Is there some way that I can return the favor?”

J: “Huh?”

T: “For returning my phone.”

J: “Oh. No, don’t worry about it. It’s good that I found its owner so easily. But, uhm…”

T: “What is it?”

J: “The guy who called… I didn’t get the chance to say it wasn’t you on the phone, not even by the end of the call, and I ended up hearing something I shouldn’t have, even though it was totally by accident, so I’m sorry about that.”

T: “What did you hear?”

J: “The guy, he… said to break up, that the long distance relationship wasn’t working anymore, that he met someone and asked you not contact him anymore.”

Jungkook stopped himself, thinking that he may have been too abrupt about it. Taehyung’s eyes went wide and, suddenly, tears silently spilled from them. He brought his hand up to cover his mouth and turned his head to the side, even though there was no one there other than Jungkook. More tears angrily flowed down over his hand as he squeezed his eyes shut and his shoulders started shaking.

It wasn’t unusual for people to cry if their lovers broke up with them, but the action startled Jungkook enough to instantly make his whole body tense up and his mind not understand anything anymore.

He, for foolish and superficial reasons, didn’t expect to see much emotion in Taehyung’s reaction after receiving the news and he certainly didn’t expect to see heartbreak on the beautiful but perpetually expressionless face. It was so raw that Jungkook’s stomach became a cluster of knots and every nerve in his body felt like a ringing alarm.

Before he could even properly process what he was doing, his body stuck itself to Taehyung, squeezing him tightly into a hug. Taehyung was taken by surprise and, after taking a deep breath to compose himself again, he put one hand on Jungkook’s shoulder to lightly but firmly push him away as he said:

T: “Uhm, I’m sorry you got involved in this. Thanks for returning my phone but…”

J: “Cheer up, Taehyung! There are other fish in the see and soon enough you’ll find another fish that’s more of a man than a mouse.”

T: “What?”

J: “You’ll find someone better. Someone that won’t break up with you over the phone or, better yet, won’t wanna break up with you at all. Yup, definitely someone better.”

T: “I don’t know about that.” Taehyung started, wiping the trails of tears away and regaining his composure completely. “It’s hard to imagine there’s anyone in the world better than Jimin. He…”

J: “Sure there is! Here I am.” Jungkook declared, pointing to himself with his thumb.

T: “Huh?”

J: “Date me and I’ll prove it to you.”

T: “What are you saying?”

Jungkook himself didn’t know what he was saying. He found himself nearly desperate to comfort Taehyung after seeing him instantly go from doll to human and regretting he ever viewed Taehyung like that and he also felt angry at this Jimin person who cowardly broke up with Taehyung over the phone, not even giving him a chance to say something back, and made him so heartbroken that he’d cry in front of a stranger. So Jungkook felt like he was in some sort of competition with this Jimin and wanted to beat him regardless of what the competition was about.

Jungkook’s mind wasn’t working properly and he erroneously thought that explaining and taking back his words would be more complicated than going with the flow he had initiated, given that he didn’t really understand what he was feeling and doing, so he answered Taehyung’s question with a command:

J: “I’m saying let’s go out for drinks somewhere. You don’t have any more courses, right? Let’s go get you cheered up.”

He grabbed Taehyung’s hand and started dragging him out of the college building to the nearest café. Taehyung was too much at a loss and too shaken up by the sudden break up news to show any resistance.

After they got to the café and their drinks arrived, Jungkook started internally freaking out over what he was doing without any intent or control.

T: “Hey, w…”

J: “You know, I don’t really get long distance relationships. You’re supposed to have the other person beside you, right? I mean that’s a big part of what’s good about relationships. If the other person’s not beside you, you can’t really call it a relationship, right?”

T: “Uhm, I suppose, but…”

J: “And you can’t really share experiences, right? You can only share words. Well, what if you’re not good with words? Doesn’t that limit what you can share with the other person like… a lot?”

T: “That’s j…”

J: “And you end up being so reliant on technology and stuff. If the WiFi’s down a date gets canceled? That just seems absurd.”

Everything he was saying seemed absurd to Jungkook. He was aware he was babbling nonsense because he was freaking out over asking a guy he barely knew out and not knowing how to get out of the mess he had gotten himself into. So he was saying whatever passed through his mind without filter because he knew awkward silence or discussing something serious would freak him out even more.

T: “Listen – w…”

J: “And another thi…”

T: “Hey!”

Taehyung’s firm tone snapped him out of his train of thought and his serious expression muted him.

T: “What’s your name?”

J: “Jungkook.”

T: “Jungkook, let me ask you something – Are you telling me the truth about what Jimin said to you over the phone thinking that it was me?”

J: “You think I made that up?”

T: “I don’t wanna sound rude or smug, but people have tried all sorts of things to get close to me in the past, so I can’t help having doubts. You knew my name before we ever talked and, right after you gave me the news about the break up, you asked me out. You can understand why I’m asking you this, right?”

J: “I can understand that, but I don’t really understand what I’m doing, so I can’t properly explain myself. I can only explain everything that happened from when I found the phone till I gave it back to you.”

T: “Okay. Do that.”

Jungkook told Taehyung all the events up to when he gave back the phone in great detail, even repeating Jimin’s message word for word and with the exact intonation. All while he talked, Taehyung looked at him without any expression and, when he was done, he simply said:

T: “I see.”

J: “You don’t believe me.”

T: “No. I believe you.”

J: “I don’t think you do. When I first told you what Jimin said, it affected you enough to start crying. Now, you didn’t even bat an eyelash.”

T: “So if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it falling, it doesn’t make a sound? If there’s no emotion on my face, it means there’s no emotion at all?”

J: “…”

T: “I already broke down in front of you and thankfully there was no one else around, but I don’t plan on doing it again in this kind of public place.”

J: “So you’re the type to keep his emotions locked up inside?”

T: “Not necessarily. But with this face and all, I attract a lot of attention. If I were to wear my heart on my sleeve, it’d be like letting a lot of strangers look into my soul and do what they want with that information. I don’t feel like giving the outside world that kinda access to my private world.”

J: “If you think like that, aren’t you bothered that I had this kinda access to your private love life?”

T: “Somewhat, but… I think it’s probably for the best that it happened like this, that Jimin told those things to you and you told me instead of him telling me directly. I probably would have begged him to reconsider and he would’ve caved in and we wouldn’t move on even though he managed to gather up the courage to say what needed to be said.”

J: “So this was not that sudden and things had been rocky for a while?”

T: “You could say that, yes.”

J: “Then why didn’t you break up sooner?”

T: “Detaching yourself from someone you’ve loved for years isn’t that easy, you know. He needs to stay where he is, I can’t go back there anymore, this thing wasn’t going to head anywhere, we both knew that but held onto naïve hopes for a good while cause… he’s the most beautiful person in the world.”

Taehyung smiled faintly and looked with a soft gaze in the distance, through the people and walls of the café, as he leaned back into his chair. Jungkook’s gaze however was glued to Taehyung. The more he looked at him, the more he was entranced by how emotions looked on Taehyung’s face. They were faint, but they were always there. They were just easy to miss if you didn’t look closely. The more emotions Jungkook saw within Taehyung and animating his face, the more beautiful he seemed to him. Not the ethereal beauty that some people raved about, but a real human who was making Jungkook want to connect their worlds, at least a bit.

Jungkook thought he should bring up the subject of him declaring himself the better fish in the sea for Taehyung, although apparently he would never be the most beautiful fish in the sea for Taehyung, because at that moment he thought that, if Taehyung didn’t seem opposed to the idea, he wouldn’t mind giving it a try.

He gulped and realized his throat had gone dry as he starred. The nervousness made his palms sweaty and his breathing shallow, but he managed to open his mouth and get Taehyung’s attention:

J: “Taehyung, uhm…”

Right then Jungkook’s phone rang loudly and it startled him so much in the state he was in that he jumped from his chair, knocked into the table and made the glasses fall, one of them shattering on the floor. Frantically, he tried cleaning up the mess he had made and moved to pick up the shards but cut himself on one of them, the sudden pain making him jump back into standing position, but only for a second because he bumped against his own chair and fell backwards over it, hitting his head against another chair from their table. The last thing he heard before he passed out was Taehyung calling his name in a frightened tone.

The first thing he saw when he woke up was a hospital room’s ceiling and a doctor who was checking him for signs of a concussion. After he was mostly cleared of that possibility, he was told he had been transported to the ER with an ambulance because head injuries could be very dangerous, especially if the one who suffers them becomes unconscious, but he would be able to leave very soon since there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him.

After the doctor left, Jungkook searched for his phone to check the time but couldn’t find it anywhere on his person. He figured it must have fallen along with him in the café and he would go look for it after he was discharged.

The doctor came back with Jungkook’s test results that indicated he was indeed fine, gave him a few instructions and told him he was free to go. In the hallway, Jungkook saw Taehyung coming up to him and asking how he was feeling.

J: “I’m fine. Well, at least I feel fine and the doctor said I am. Have you been here the whole time?”

T: “Yeah. I came along in the ambulance. I freaked out when you wouldn’t wake up, so of course I was gonna come and wait here till you did.”

J: “You freaked out?”

T: “Well, yeah.”

J: “Damn! I missed such a good expression…”

T: “Uhm, what?”

J: “Nothing. Don’t mind me, I’m probably still experiencing some confusion after hitting my head.”

T: “The doctor said you weren’t.”

J: “Well, yeah, then I’m not.”

T: “Wha…”

Taehyung looked perplexed at Jungkook and the latter couldn’t help grinning at seeing that and adding it to the list of Taehyung’s expressions he had seen. But then Taehyung became serious and switched the topic to something else:

T: “Anyway, Jungkook, your phone fell in the café and I’ve held on to it. And… I guess we’re even now.” Taehyung started, handing Jungkook’s phone back to him.

J: “What do you mean?”

T: “Your flat-mate, Seokjin, incessantly called you, so at one point I answered, told him what happened to you and he told me why he kept calling you.”

J: “Let me guess – I rearranged things in the fridge and he can’t find the pickles.”

Taehyung wasn’t laughing, not that Jungkook had high expectations for his joke actually working on him, but he seemed a little too serious. He grabbed Jungkook by the shoulders and guided him towards a chair where he sat him down before he continued speaking:

T: “There was a fire in the building where you two live. It started in the apartment below yours and it caused considerable damage to your place as well. Nobody was injured, but a lot of the things in your apartment were ruined, either by the fire or by the water the firefighters used to put it out.”

Jungkook listened with his eyes wide open and his jaw hanging. When Taehyung finished, he lowered his gaze and looked worried and confused as to what he should do. Taehyung went down on one knee and looked up to see Jungkook’s face as he grabbed his hands and held them in his own.

T: “It’s still light outside. Wanna go and assess the situation for yourself? If you’re feeling up for it, that is.”

J: “Yeah, I wanna.”

T: “Okay. I’ll call a taxi then. I sent Seokjin a message to let him know you were okay after I asked the doctor about it and he said he’s still there with your landlord trying to sort out all kinds of things.”

J: “I’m not worried about that. It may not seem like it from the way he usually acts and talks, but he can handle anything well if it’s a serious issue.” Jungkook said before pausing, letting out a small laugh and continuing. “I’m glad I took my laptop and camera and left them at the university today. If those had been damaged, I probably would’ve been crying right now.”

Taehyung smiled at Jungkook and his positive attitude before urging him to get up and go. He accompanied Jungkook to the building where he lived, because he didn’t want to risk Jungkook passing out alone on the way as a belated effect of the recent head injury, and he met Seokjin who was talking on the phone in front of the said building.

S: “JK, how’s your head?”

J: “Fine. But I’m sorry to say no loose screws were shoved back into place.”

S: “Too bad. Better luck next time.”

J: “Yeah.”

S: “Well, I’m relieved you’re okay, but I’m sorry to say our apartment is very far from that state.”

J: “It’s that bad?”

S: “No, not really. But the floor’s pretty damaged, so we can’t really live here any longer and it’s no use waiting till we’ll be able to again because it’s gonna take a good while till the floor can be repaired. We’re gonna have to stay somewhere else till we find another apartment to rent.”

J: “What? But…”

S: “I’m gonna do what I can for us to get compensation for everything, but it’s gonna take a while, so don’t hold your breath. Meanwhile, I took out everything that wasn’t completely destroyed, placed it in large garbage bags and gave the bags to the neighbors across the street to hold on to them for us till we get things sorted out. If you need anything, just tell me and I’ll tell you what apartment to go to.”

J: “It’s fine. The only thing I urgently need is a roof over my head. Where are we gonna stay?”

S: “Ah, right. You don’t really have many friends in this city yet… Well, I talked to Namjoon and he said I can stay there for as long as I need. I’m sure he’d agree for you to sleep there as well for a while.”

J: “Namjoon has a tiny, one-room apartment with only one bed. And I don’t wanna get between you and your boyfriend.”

S: “Well, where else are you gonna stay?”

T: “My place is an option.” Taehyung intervened, making the other two look at him with different degrees of surprise. “It’s also a tiny, one-room apartment, but I live alone and I have an inflatable mattress you can sleep on… If you want to, that is.”

J: “Uhm… beggars can’t be choosers, but… are you sure about letting someone you’ve known only for a few hours into your home like that?”

S: “A few hours? Weren’t you two friends?” Seokjin asked, going by how Taehyung introduced himself as in the spur of the moment when he picked up Seokjin’s call to Jungkook’s phone.

J: “No. Actually we’re dating.”

Seokjin and Taehyung looked at Jungkook with shock, but neither of them were as shocked as Jungkook himself when he realized what he had blurted out, completely forgetting that Taehyung never agreed to his impromptu proposal of going out with each other, which Jungkook even wanted to take back because it had been prompted by the wrong kind of feelings anyway.

S: “JK… You’re straight as far as I know, but the real issue here is that the person you’re supposedly dating is more shocked about that statement than I am. Did you really hit your head that badly?”

J: “I hit my head? When?”

S: “JK!”

T: “Maybe we should go back to the hospital.”

J: “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Don’t… don’t mind me today, I have no idea what I’m doing and it started way before the fall in the café. My midterm’s approaching, I haven’t been getting enough sleep and I think it’s starting to mess me up.”

S: “Not that you were ever completely sane, but okay. I’ll buy it.”

T: “If there’s nothing left for you to do here right now, maybe we should head out so you can go to sleep earlier. It’s been a crazy day.”

J: “I should get some of my clothes from the neighbors first.”

S: “They’re filled with smoke and most of them are also wet. I took everything I could indiscriminately, so we’re gonna have some serious sorting out work to do.”

T: “I’ll lend you some of my clothes and whatever else you need till you can take care of that, so don’t worry.”

J: “But…”

S: “Good. Now that that’s settled, keep your phone close and your head safe, JK. I’ll call you when I’ll have any more updates.”

J: “Okay. Thanks, Seokjin.”

After reaching Taehyung’s apartment, Taehyung insisted they’d eat something before doing anything else. So they ate and, at one point, after silence fell between them, Jungkook had to let something out:

J: “I’m sorry I gave you so much trouble today.”

T: “It’s fine. I’m not in any way glad these things happened to you, but at least focusing on your troubles took my mind off of my own.”

J: “What would you have been doing right now if you had answered that call and couldn’t convince Jimin to reconsider?”

T: “Probably cried enough to bring my floor to the state yours was in from the water hoses of the fire trucks.”

J: “Oh…”

Jungkook could tell there was a lot of truth behind Taehyung’s seemingly joking statement and the little appetite he had completely disappeared.

T: “Cheer up, Jungkook. You’re here, so my floor’s safe.”

Jungkook looked back up towards Taehyung and saw a slight smile directed at him and he suddenly remembered it wasn’t his first time seeing Taehyung smile. Back at the hospital, his mind was too clouded by other thoughts to fully appreciate the experience, but now his mind was calmer, although this allowed for his stomach, lower abdomen, chest and throat to start clenching and hurting.

T: “You should eat that before it gets cold.”

Jungkook really couldn’t eat with his body and mind in the state that they were, but he still brought the fork to his mouth and started chewing. However, Taehyung noticed something that Jungkook apparently didn’t – the fork only went near his mouth, without succeeding in putting food inside it, so Jungkook was chewing on air as he looked at Taehyung without blinking.

Surprisingly even for him, Taehyung burst out in laughter and it only amplified when Jungkook earnestly asked him why he was laughing. Jungkook felt like he was going crazy without being able to tell if that feeling was a good or bad one but, when Taehyung wiped away a tear that formed in the corner of his eye from all the laughter, something snapped inside Jungkook and he firmly said:

J: “Taehyung. Don’t cry.”

Taehyung stopped laughing, surprised by the commanding tone with which Jungkook said that, and he looked at the very serious expression he had on his face as he continued:

J: “I’m here and I’ll keep your floor safe.”

And Taehyung burst out in laughter again, this time mentally concluding that Jungkook was weird yet strangely endearing.

After dinner, Taehyung took out the mattress and started inflating it with the pump while he gave instructions to Jungkook on where to find the clothes and other things he might need as long as he stayed there. Jungkook changed in the bathroom while Taehyung finished making the mattress into a decent bed and, shortly after, they both went to sleep. Before sleep could take over either of them, Jungkook called out to Taehyung:

J: “Hey, Taehyung…”

T: “Hm?”

J: “Thank you. For everything.”

T: “Thank you too, Jungkook. Good night.”

J: “Night.”

Jungkook instantly fell asleep, but kept waking up throughout the night as he wasn’t used to the new bed. One time, not too long after they had both gone to bed, he woke up and felt something was wrong. He looked over towards Taehyung’s bed and saw him sitting on the side of it, going through the pictures of him and Jimin that he had on his phone with his forehead leaning against the side of his palm and tears quietly streaming down his face.

Taehyung didn’t notice Jungkook come up behind him on the bed till he was enveloped in a strong and silent back-hug, Jungkook placing the side of head onto Taehyung’s shoulder blade and his hands over Taehyung’s chest. Taehyung grabbed one of those hands and squeezed it tightly as he started sobbing to his heart’s content, viciously yet still silent enough to barely disturb the quiet of the night.